Chapter 88: The Method of Foundation Building

“The path of Cultivation is perilous. A single misstep could lead to eternal doom. If you were not my children, I would not care for you in the slightest. Xiao Hao, having lived in the Mortal World for many years, you must remember that a Cultivator cannot show the slightest bit of mercy or weakness. Otherwise, you will forever be weaker than others.” Elder Zheng’s father spoke slowly, his tone filled with a ruthless intent.

Hearing these words, Zhou Yu was filled with emotion. He had read many fantasy and xianxia novels where many Cultivators had such personalities—ruthless and willing to kill for resources. Unfortunately, these people won in terms of Cultivation, but ultimately failed in terms of character.

From Uncle-Master Wu’s Xuantian Sect, to Fairy Suxin’s Immortal Sound Sect, and now to this Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, every sect was filled with strife. Even someone like Fairy Suxin, who wished to avoid conflict, would eventually be provoked by others.

“Hehe, father, with an Elder like you backing me, who would dare to touch a hair on my head?” The man named Zheng Hao said carelessly.

“Nonsense! Can I support you for a moment, or for a lifetime? If you were in the Mortal World, I could certainly guarantee you a life of wealth and honor. But now that you have left the Mortal World and wish to join the ranks of Cultivators, do not bring that lazy, dependent attitude with you anymore.” Elder Zheng waved his hand dismissively and spoke coldly.

Zhou Yu couldn’t help but laugh. This Senior Brother Zheng’s younger brother truly had the mindset of a rich second-generation from Earth, planning to rely on his father’s influence for as long as he could.

From these words, it seemed this Zheng Hao used to live in the Mortal World and had only recently come to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. Perhaps he was lost as a child, or perhaps he was a seed accidentally left behind by Elder Zheng during his travels in the Mortal World.

“Alright, father, I know. Why did you call me here today? The food in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect is so delicious! Every meal has Spirit Beast Meat. The meat in the Mortal World is like dirt in comparison.”

Zheng Hao waved his hand, completely disregarding Elder Zheng’s words. Then, thinking of his life these past few days, his eyes lit up as he spoke.

Zhou Yu’s eyes widened. Spirit Beast Meat every meal? He glanced at his own small refrigerator. It was truly frustrating comparing oneself to others. Even with something as incredible as the Radio, he was still far behind a rich second-generation Cultivator.

“Hmph, I called you here today, of course, to have you start Cultivation from now on. Do you know what the first realm for a Cultivator is?” Elder Zheng snorted coldly. He did not scold further and instead asked.

“Even in the Mortal World, I knew about this, let alone after entering the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. I hear about it until my ears hurt. The first realm in the Cultivation World is naturally Foundation Building, transforming the internal energy into Spiritual Power, officially entering the ranks of Cultivators.” Zheng Hao sat on a stool, crossing his legs, speaking very casually.

Hearing Elder Zheng’s words, Zhou Yu’s eyes suddenly shone brightly, his face showing immense joy. Zheng Hao was called here to start Cultivation. If so, could he perhaps obtain some Cultivation secret techniques or something similar?

This was something he had been looking forward to for a long time. Ever since he first met Uncle-Master Wu and obtained the Spirit Gathering Array, he had hoped that one day he could step onto the path of Cultivation.

Sword Flight, freely traversing the skies—this was probably the dream of many people from Huaxia.

He still vaguely remembered the palpitations in his heart when he first read a xianxia novel, often fantasizing that he was a Cultivator from those stories, capable of anything. The silly slogan he chanted when setting up the Spirit Gathering Array was learned from a novel.

Even after reading all kinds of xianxia novels over the years, that dream still remained in his heart. Although this dream seemed incredibly distant, now he was only one step away from realizing it.

“Oh, it seems you are not entirely ignorant. Foundation Building is the true mark of becoming a Cultivator. The Qi Refining stage before Foundation Building is also extremely important. It lays the foundation for the future path. Using secret methods to sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, drawing it into the body, refining the energy to move it, slowly strengthening it, finally breaking through the mortal shell and transforming into Spiritual Energy, successfully achieving Foundation Building.”

Speaking here, Elder Zheng sighed with emotion. “But Cultivators have different talents. Some, upon obtaining the secret method, can instantly sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and draw it into their bodies. Others may take several months to accomplish the same.”

“As for successfully achieving Foundation Building, those with high talent might succeed in a few months. Those with low talent might spend their entire lives unable to break through the mortal shell and transform into Spiritual Energy.”

“So troublesome? It takes at least a few months? That’s too long. By the way, father, I heard there are things like Foundation Building Elixirs, right? Get me a whole batch, and I can just build my foundation directly.” Hearing about such a tedious process, Zheng Hao felt a headache. Then, as if he thought of something, his eyes lit up as he spoke to Elder Zheng.

Hearing this, Zhou Yu felt even more speechless. A whole batch? This guy planned to eat Foundation Building Elixirs like candy. A true rich second-generation indeed.

“Foundation Building Elixirs? A whole batch for you? Believe me, I’ll throw you into the Ten Thousand Ant Cave.” Finally, Elder Zheng couldn’t stand this prodigal son’s words anymore and said with a dark face.

“Ahem, fine, if there aren’t any, just one pill is okay too. Don’t be angry, I am your son after all.” Seemingly frightened by Elder Zheng’s dark expression, the usually flippant Zheng Hao quickly softened his tone.

Elder Zheng gave a cold laugh. “One Foundation Building Elixir? If I gave it to you now, you would explode and die long ago. Breaking through the mortal shell and transforming into Spiritual Energy, changing from an ordinary person to a Cultivator, is not so simple. Any Cultivator, unless they are the descendant of a high-realm Cultivator whose parents introduced Spiritual Energy before birth, must go through the process of Qi Refining and Energy Transformation.”

“It’s true that Foundation Building Elixirs can assist in Foundation Building, but they can only be taken when the internal energy has reached the point of breaking through the mortal shell and transforming. Before that, even if you take more, even if you luckily don’t explode and die, it won’t let you step into the Foundation Building realm.”

Zhou Yu also nodded slightly. This was something he had guessed before. The Elixirs of the Immortal World were not something ordinary people could casually take. The medicinal power within was enough to make a person explode and die.

Looking at the Radio, his expression became even more serious because what Elder Zheng was about to explain next was likely the secret method for Foundation Building.

At this moment, Zheng Hao couldn’t help but ask again. “Hehe, father, there must be a way to speed up this process, to let me reach this point faster, right?”

Elder Zheng’s face showed a somewhat indifferent expression. “Naturally. If Cultivators only absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, even with some talent, they would grow old and die without reaching the immortal realm. Therefore, various Spirit Grasses and Elixirs become essential items. They can enhance power and accelerate Cultivation.”

“Before Foundation Building, one can also consume some Elixirs to speed up the process of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, allowing one to reach the point of breaking through the mortal shell and transformation more quickly.”